This Week In Home Entertainment: Jurassic Park 3D, Gangster Squad And More

After a lull in April releases, this week is full of some brand new Blu-ray and DVD fodder, and even one big 3D Blu-ray release. From big budget films like Gangster Squad to the 3D release of arguably the biggest dinosaur film of all time, Jurassic Park, to a few indie releases, if you’re looking for something to purchase, you should be able to find something new this week. Read on to learn about some of this April 23rd’s best releases, and maybe even a few that may have slipped under your radar.

Jurassic Park 3D

If you haven’t caught Spielberg’s dinosaur epic in 3D at the theater in the past month, or haven’t taken your kids to see a regular, non-3D screening for the first time in theaters, I’m not sure what you’ve been doing with your free time. Movies that are able to achieve unbelievable visions are few and far between, and Jurassic Park stands out as the best of the best. Luckily, you’ll be able to rectify your mistake beginning today, if you want to. Spielberg’s Jurassic Park 3D is hitting 3D Blu-ray for the first time today in an expansive set that offers fans plenty of different ways to watch.

Jurassic Park has a great overarching story and brilliant special effects. It’s Spielberg at his very best, and with a very deft script writer. Despite all of the big things going right for Jurassic Park, a lot of the details are spot on, as well, from Grant’s small awkward clumsiness as a hero to John Hammond’s perpetual refusal to understand how his dream has fallen into chaos. This movie even has a cameo from a youthful BD Wong—what more could it possibly need?

I could sit at this computer and dissect all of the great moments of suspense the dinosaurs bring to the table or even the infuriating moments the two kids add to Jurassic Park, but at this point we all know the story of a dinosaur-based theme park which goes very, very wrong after an employee shuts the perimeter fences off. Everyone is either on board and loves the film, or knows it isn’t their cup of tea at this juncture, and I’m assuming if you are reading, you are already excited about the release. So, instead, let’s take a look at what makes Universal Studios Home Entertainment's Jurassic Park 3D Blu-ray set great or not.

You can order Jurassic Park 3D for a reasonable sale price over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature: Some of the bonus features with this extensive set are repeats, including “The Making of Jurassic Park" and other original featurettes from the set. However, there is plenty on the disc that is worthy of a perusal, including behind-the-scenes segments that specifically look at the animation and green screens used to enhance the storytelling.

Each of the new “Return to Jurassic Park” segments is definitely worth watching, even though the segments are retrospective. I especially like “The Next Step in Evolution” segment which gets really specific with the computer work used in the film and even explains how surprised the team was at the time to be able to accomplish such a feat. Steven Spielberg also pops up to explain how messed up it was to be shooting Schindler’s List on some days and to be coming in to work on Jurassic Park on other days. Additionally, composer John Williams discusses the epic score, and more. It’s really great that everyone involved is still willing to come back and talk retrospectively about something they created all the way back in the early nineties.

Other Special Features:
“Return to Jurassic Park: Dawn of a New Era”
“Return to Jurassic Park: Making Prehistory”
“Return to Jurassic Park: The Next Step in Evolution”
“The Making of Jurassic Park
Original Featurette on the Making of the Film
“Steven Spielberg Directs Jurassic Park”
“Hurricane in Kauai” featurette
Early Pre-Production Meetings
Location Scouting
“Phil Tippett Animatics: Raptors in the Kitchen”
“Animatics: T-Rex Attack”
“ILM and Jurassic Park: Before and After Visual Effects”
Foley Artists
Storyboards
Production Archives
Theatrical Trailer